Police presence needed after Oak Park fireworks

Opinion: Letters To The Editor

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 10:00 PM

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While my wife and I were returning home after this year's Fourth of July fireworks, we witnessed a small brawl between teenagers on Lake Street (this ultimately ended with one youth being taken away in an ambulance).

We both found ourselves disturbed by the fact that there appeared to be no police or any other security between the high school and Ridgeland Avenue on Lake Street. The only official presence was a crossing guard who didn't have as much as a radio and was powerless as one of the teenagers grabbed a traffic barricade to use as a weapon.

Fortunately, shortly after this happened, several police cars finally arrived on the scene, but couldn't there have been at least one or two uniformed officers with radios on this stretch of the road to prevent this sort of occurrence before it begins?

Could it be that they just had never had issues with it before and didn't anticipate it happening? It's a doggone shame that there are people walking amongst us who cannot even conduct themselves like human beings on a daily basis. Whatever their "beef" was should not have ended with someone being taken to the hospital. I have witnessed fights in front of the Main library and Scoville Park and thought how barbaric those geniuses looked. One dude even fought WITH the cop! It's better now.

OP resident

Posted: July 15th, 2011 11:56 AM

I also was on Lake St at about the time the brawl broke out. And I agree with Don - having better police presence up and down Lake St might have prevented this. Hopefully next year we'll see that presence.

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